Wednesday 23 December 2009

Boxing Day


Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Greenland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population.

Boxing Day is a secular holiday but is always on 26 December: the public holiday is generally moved to the following Monday if 26 December is a Saturday. If 25 December is a Sunday then both the Monday and Tuesday may be public holidays. However the date of observance of Boxing Day varies between countries.

In Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and some states of Australia, Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramatic price decreases. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue.



Many retailers open very early (typically 5 am or even earlier) and offer doorbuster deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of 26 December, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big-box consumer electronics retailers. Once inside, the shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queueing up, providing video of shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items.

The Boxing Day sales have the potential for customer stampedes, injuries and even fatalities. As a result, many retailers have implemented practices aimed at controlling large numbers of shoppers, most whom are typically irate due to the cold (or, in Australia and New Zealand, hot) weather, and anxious for bargains. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the line to guarantee them a hot ticket item, and canvass lined-up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations.


But this year
Boxing Day sales start on Christmas Eve
Retailers are launching their Boxing Day sales on Christmas Eve on the internet, to take advantage of the millions expected to shop online over Christmas. Only in UK more than 4 million people are expected to log on to the internet and make a purchase on Christmas Day itself, according to the online trade body IMRG, spending more than £100 million on December 26.

Church leaders and family charities have complained that consumers are not prepared to have at least one day off from shopping during the year, but retailers argued internet shopping is no longer an anti-social past time.

And what do you think about boxing day?

28 comments:

  1. I think that this is good, but I don't imagine me in this situation. I must have time for select think thich I want to buy, but generally I think that for many people it's good (low price and rivarly)

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  2. I think that I'm not patient and hard-bitten enough to take a part in such action. I agree with Monika that generally it's not a bad idea; people can buy products that normally are too expensive for them and after cut price their costs are not as high. But in my opinion previous date - 26th December - was better than Christmas Eve... I know that nowadays Christmas are very commercial but it deprives them of all magic and atmosphere.

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  3. I think it will be very exciting experience, standing in a very long queue, where a lot of people shouting on each other. On the other hand it's very good feeling when some of your friends give you a "small" presents. My grandpa had the same situation like people in that pictures, when some days ago he's standing in front of supermarket...

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  4. No, no, never! I just looked at the last picture and advantages of buying on sales in boxing day that I thought about disappeared. I can't imagine, that I freely fight my way through the crowd, hearing full of irritation 'pardon' for each side and finally don't find anything for me, or rather find whatever (because it would be stupid to waste whole day and go back empty-handed), and queue up in 3-kilometers long way to the till. It sounds like a nightmare.
    However, I think, that buying on sales isn't bad idea - we can find there many interesting bargains (for the other hand, there are many offers, that only seems to be 'great occassions' and in fact they aren't), but such a cumulation in one time, in addition - Christmas time? No, thanks.

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  6. I also think that Christmas Eve isn't the best time to go shopping. In my opinion it's the time which we should spend with our family and not with furious crowd wanted to buy something before us. But I have nothing against sales and generally idea of Boxing Day. Some people as you said can find many things in reasonable prices. Of course, this kind of shopping isn't for everyone, but there are a lot of people who can think about it in category of good fun or competition and even take pleasure in it.

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  7. I think it's sad that Christmas are so comercial now. I hate shopping, especially in crowd, so Boxing Day isn't for me. I heared that in past days second day of Christmas looked different. That day richer people put outside their houses boxes (from that the name of this day) with things which become useless for them. Poor people took that things for free. I think this tradition of Boxing Day is better. That, what I read in presentation is horrible and I'm glad that I don't live in such society.

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  8. I think that it is a good idea...but i don't think that Christmas time is a good time for this, it can be in other time in the year...and for me it can lasts longer because in this short time there is a huge crowd in the shops...

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  9. I think that Christmas days are good time for spending it with friends and family - expecially if you haven't time in other days. What's more I just hate standing in long queque and waiting for something and if there are so much people I'm confused. I'm afraid of crowds in a small space. But if somebody wants to spend Christmas time in such way - why not.

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  10. I totally agree with Joanna and Awa. Christmas shouldn't be all about going shopping and buying presents. But yes for some people it could be good opportunity to buy things that hey normally cannot afford. For me those are pictures as from a horror movie ;-) I hate crowds and standing in long lines. I prefer to look for presents much much earlier and have time to find something special for everyone (what usually happens accidentally when I shop for sth diferent ;-) )

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  11. In my opinion sales are needed and very interesting. But if it does not exceed the limits of reason. I watched a program on sales of wedding dresses. Brides how to get a dress for a few months of its strategy to acquire.! Involve the whole family. One of them, which failed, canceled wedding !!!!!!!!!! It is probably already too much?

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  12. In my opinion shopping isn't a good idea to spend 26 December on shopping, trying to get what you want, get some injuries and avoid other people who scuffle all the time.
    I think during the time between 27-31 December in Poland is time when especially women go crazy and try to find some gorgeous creations for New Year's Eve and carnival.
    Despite the sales polish prices are very high and in my opinion in other countries the bargains are more attractive for customers.

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  13. Sales yes, but not at 26 December. I think that is some kind of madness!People which goes on shopping in this day are disrespectfull for Christmas Day.I think that our World is going to the dogs...
    ... but in another day it would be very good idea.

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  14. I think, that 26 December should be a day, that people spend with a family, not in a supermarket. They can buy everything all over the year, then why can't stopped for two-three days? I hate a crowd in shops two weeks before Christmas and can't imagine, who want to stay in queue in a Boxing Day?

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  15. I think such day is a good idea, but Christmas isn't a properly time for this. Sales are common not only once a year, but it takes place quite often through the year and many people use it, so both retailers and customers have benefits. In my opinion, sales are needed but in the right time.

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  16. You're right. It's a little exaggerated to organize top rank sales on Christmas.
    It's a profanation but unfortunately normal in this day.
    I wondered at customers' potential. It can cause injuries and even fatalities!

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  17. Yes, I'd love that! 26th December is always a day when we are tired of eating and conversing with family. It's a perfect day to meet with our friends and go to the shopping:) Of course traditional shopping in this day is disaster, but that kind is a real fun. This is a great opportunity to become a caveman or hunter. You catch a t-shirt or cap which you don;t need, but you fight for that like a tiger. It's worth that money you'll spend.

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  18. It's so crazy. I hate shopping:/
    Before Christmas my girlfriend was so angry beacase of my anti-shopper attitude. I ordered all my Christmas gifts on internet. Why? Beacause here, in Poland we have something like "boxing day" for whole december. Even if there are no so temting sales. People in shopping center becomes a wild animals.

    P.s.Polish translation of "boxing day" is "dzień pudełkowy"? I rather thought about "dzień zakupowego boksu" :)

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  19. I must agree with Mateusz. Shopping before Christmas is disaster. That's why I buy most of the gifts via Internet or before December "boxing day's".

    But I must say, that sometimes I buy clothes and electronic stuff on sales. It is always really exhausting, to stay in a line, to jostle through the crowd... But these prices are worth it.

    *ad. P.S I think that it's called "boxing" because of the enormous, histerical fights in shops. xD.

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  20. In my opinion Christmas is a time to spend with our family not to do a shopping especially that standard 'before christmas' shopping are enough torture. This kind of day is good idea but in the other time, although when I'm looking on the last picture I'm thinkig how peoples take a pleasure of this! For me it is horrible.

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  21. i was in northern ireland this christmas and i have to say that people there don't celebrate christmas hav we do. people there after one day when the city is dead need to go out to party and shopping. anyway they are very exciting for boxing day. there is many people everywhere not only shops. and evening? at the evening you can see so many people ready to have fun. in my experience there i can say that people enjoy this day and if they like it so why it suppose to be bad? Polish people propably would never accept this way to spending christmas break but for me it is nothing bad.

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  23. I remember some news from tv when there was an opening of new Saturn shop or other Rtv/AGD center. They offer really cheap DVD players for first hundred people. Queue was incredible big, and when it has opened, every one has started to push one's way through other. I think that it looks similar during the Boxingday... You loose a lot of time on catching sequence bargain, whereas It's Christmas time and you should stay at home with you family

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  24. I love shopping but I also agree with another. Christmas time is not good time for shopping. It's time for family and friends, not for shopping center. In my opinion, summer it's the best time for boxing day.

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  25. I hate the big crowd so the Boxing Day is definitely not for me. I also don't like shopping so I like more to spend a little bit more and buy things in quiet and peace. I don't like the idea of fighting for goods and waiting in very long queues to pay.

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  26. Boxing day shopping is a tradition form other cultural circle. We eastern Europeans can't do shopping in 26th December because its banned by the law. In my opinion there are better things to do during Christmas holidays than doing shopping.

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  27. boxing day reminds me of some seasonal sales at media Markt.people also stand in long line a fwe hours before opening .Then they throw themeselve on overpriced equipment. I think this is terrible ,people behave like animals.I think sales is cool think but all should be with the common sense

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  28. I'm too tired with shopping almost every day to spend my free time on the second day of Christmas on shopping. It is a special time in a year and we should spend it celebrating Christmas with our Families.

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